Conclusions … I’ll leave out the photos and make the conclusion much easier to get through than the great African novel of the last update… So leaving off somewhere around the other side of Arusha, direct sunlight streaming through the barely ajar window, a phone call and numerous texts between Canada and myself as I ventured a surprise visit back to Moshi only to hear news of Oti Otise and an accident with thus far sketchy details. Pro & The Hack Game Oti Otise, star professional, ten years pro league Costa Rica took a tumble for the worst. H [View Full Entry]

---

---

Short but not Sweet February I suppose I should explain the lack of communicado since early January. The truth of the matter is there really wasn’t anything I could write about… I spent most of my waking hours battling through the oversized document for the women’s group which was to be sent out for grant applications to various organisations. The four walls of the dining room became my prison, starved of much natural light. So much time in front of a laptop caused me to hallucinate; a budding termite nest on the wooden floor by the bed became a predator [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hospital Guts Canada and I have had an interesting start to the year. Particularly Canada - I was just along mainly as support crew and to lend the occasional joke in order to take her mind away from current procedures. Having surgery whether minor or major can be nerve-racking and terrifying enough, leave alone when you take the plunge in a foreign country. Some crazy kids like my old mate Kirra Bloke (not his real name; come on do you really think his parents are that cruel) aren’t really given a choice in the matter. They have to give up [View Full Entry]

---

---

Gotta get Out of this Place I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of Moshi. The last few weeks have drained every ounce of motivation, enthusiasm and energy I had possessed only a few months before. Burnout had arrived on the red carpet and I was not particularly interested in the premier screening one bit. Burning the midnight oil had finally taken its toll and more likely than not, it was visible through the pack-a-day habit coupled with an increasingly short fuse that had the capacity to blow twice a day minimum. The week leading up to our time away [View Full Entry]

---

---

December Birthdays Nine months before December, February’s Valentines Day must have been especially romantic for many couples worldwide. Either this, complete boredom or particularly cold nights (well, if you are from the USA, Canada or Europe) could account for the overwhelming number of people I share my birth month with. And there are A LOT of us, almost one each day of the blessed month. We kick started the last month of the year, and generally the most celebrated around the world as Christmas festivities and plans for the New Year are underway. Gift purchasing, [View Full Entry]

---

---

World Aids Day For most organisations around the globe the recognition of World Aids Day might have meant an increase in voluntary testing vehicles reaching circle usually outside the sphere. It may have also meant heartfelt speeches bringing a tear to ones eye, the silent parades around up and down main streets for all those lost before and to save those not yet in its grasp. For other organisations it might have been a more street counselling approach defying authorities in culturally tight countries by handing out condoms, testing kits and safe sex information. Yeah - those devils righ [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hectic Daze For those back home sending emails of grief about my incredible lack of communicado, you're about to feel very very bad... ah well, please don't it's ok. We all know I have a slackness with responding to online requests. It's so impersonal, I would much rather write a letter... not that I've had the time to do that either. But I have a pretty good reason to back up my slackness. And it doesn't all involve early morning finishes at the local drinking hole, although there have may some indulgence on occasion. There has also been many other [View Full Entry]

---

---

Beer is a Community Service The idea of free beer is enough to make any Australian drool.... any real Australian that is. I was no exception. The flipside to the coin being dressed as a Heidi look alike from the days of pre 1935 Germany (minus the plaits) didn't do too much to deter me from volunteering for the much anticipated beer festival Oktoberfest, being held at Glacier, home to one of the biggest beer gardens I have ever seen. And so, dragging Canada along for the ride (more often than not, my partner in crime), off we went early [View Full Entry]

---

---

Mount Kilimanjaro Most mornings or afternoons, I'm blessed with the glacier views of Mount Kilimanjaro, be it from my driveway, outside the orphanage or walking back from the soccer pitch. During the day she tends to hide behind clouds, everso shy like the most modest of women. At 5,895 meters (19,340 ft), in elevation, I was 1/3 the way up the mountain whilst based in the village of S*** today. And that, my friends is as far up Kilimanjaro I intend to get. Back to S***... Early Starts For the past week, I have worked my backside off. Meeting after meeting [View Full Entry]

---

---

With a nasty Konyagi (African mixture of gin, rum, metho & lime) hangover from the previous nights outing, I got myself out of bed at a reasonable hour and back out into the October blazing hot sun. The previous day I had heard rumours of a rugby tournament being played at the International School of Moshi. A couple of Kenyan friends currently working in Tanzania are also rugby fans, one having played for Kenya in a previous life and although not too happy about the early start due to an incredibly late finish, were dragged along for the ride. The game [View Full Entry]

---

---